New Arborist of the Year Competition 2024

The 2024 GreenCycle New Arborist of the Year Competition saw our eight regional qualifiers gather in Auckland for the finals event.

With the conference running Wednesday and Thursday in a new format to allow attendees a better opportunity to attend both conference and NTCC events, we decided to run the New Arb competition over 3 days instead to the normal 2. This allowed the competitors more time to attend conference sessions and watch the NTCC events on the Friday.

On 9 October 2024 the 8 New Arborist of the Year finalists gathered in the trade zone of the NZARB annual conference awaiting their first event, with a series of trials to follow that would test their skills and knowledge across a wide range of arboriculture related topics. We started off with a tour of the trade zone where the finalists got much praise and encouragement from all the trade zone attendees. Thanks to everyone who offered encouragement and support.

The 2024 Finalists:

Auckland – Luke Saxer-Tidswell and Oliver Boyd

Waikato/Bop – Garth Knox and Reuben Webb

Wellington – Caleb Hilbron and Kim Doyle

South Island - Jordon Sutherland and Zack Wilson

The first event was the Quick-Fire Quiz. Here the competitors faced off in a Kahoot on the tv in the NZARB stand. The quiz consisted of 60 arboriculture related questions, with multiple choice answers, such as “What is the term used for the way a tree grows towards the light?”, “Dutch Elm Disease is spread by what vector?”, “How many cuts are required when target pruning?”, and “How can shock loading be reduced when rigging?.” Jordan won the Quiz event with Garth and Oliver close behind.

The Tree I.D. test was next. Here the competitors had 30 tree samples to identify. Points were scored on family, genus, species, and common name. Samples included Ginkgo biloba,Phytolacca dioica, Alectryon excelsus, Pinus radiata, Knightia excelsa and Sequoiasempervirens to name just a few. Most samples came from Albert Park which was a 10-minute walk from the venue and are listed on the Albert Park website. Jordan, Garth, and Caleb where the top 3 respectively in this event.

For lunch the competitors were invited to the Student Mentor Lunch, generously put on by Treetech, where they had the opportunity to talk with experienced arborists and experts in their fields from all areas of the industry, including managers, consultants, business owners, trainers, and more. A huge thanks to the mentors that gave up their valuable conference time to talk with the finalists about their journeys and experiences. And a huge thanks to Chris Walsh and Treetech for making this event available.

The afternoon was wrapped up with the knots and ropes test, where the finalists needed to display competencies tying a selection of commonly used knots along with a description of their applications. They then had to complete a theory test demonstrating knowledge of ropes and knots in a combination of aspects such as cycles to failure, bend ratios, rigging, and gear inspection. Jordan, Oliver, and Zac were the top 3 respectively in this event.

Day 2 had the competitors doing their Site Setup/ Hazard Analysis/ Work Methodologypractical event at Albert Park. For this event they were allocated individual times throughout the day to meet me on site for their event. Here they were given the scenario of a large dead tree was needing to be removed on a sensitive site where no ground disturbance was needed on the grassed area around the tree due to an archaeological find. All competitors did well in recognising the need for strict site security and vigilant monitoring. There was a range of methodologies presented ranging from technical rigging, cranes, and helicopters. They all completed a Job Safety Analysis to a high standard also. Zac won this event with a near perfect score followed closely by Jordan and Garth.

Day 3 had the last event, the Aerial Rescue, held at Victoria Park in amongst the NTCC event. Here the casualty had suffered a large laceration to their arm and was located out along a large limb in one of the Plane trees. The competitors were required to apply first aid measures in the tree and to safely lower the climber to the ground. It was clear that all the finalists were well versed in aerial rescues, and this showed in the final scores. Jordan placed first with an exceptional performance followed closely by Luke and Oliver. A huge thanks goes to Stephen Griffiths for playing the role of the casualty, and to Chelsea and Marshall for assisting with judging.

I was thoroughly impressed by the high level of knowledge and skill shown by all the competitors.

Friday night brought the conference dinner and awards celebration and the opportunity to put the spotlight on these new arborists. They all performed exceptionally well, and I look forward to seeing what they will bring to the industry in the future.

And a huge thanks to Husqvarna for providing some great prizes for our winners.

Third Place – Luke Saxer-Tidswell

Second Place – Oliver Boyd

First Place and the 2024 New Arborist of the Year - Jordan Sutherland

Jordan now goes on to represent the New Zealand arboriculture sector at the 2025 Young Horticulturist of the Year Competition – Best of luck Jordan!!

Congratulations to every one of the finalists, you can all be incredibly proud of your efforts.

Craig Lamb.